Post-9/11 Fears
Security has been beefed up at major sporting events following the events of 9/11. Indeed, there's a case to be made that the threat of terror has almost been as pronounced as the actual attacks themselves. Shortly after the attacks, the United States Ryder Cup team pulled out of the bi-annual fixture due to be held in Britain. In general, most of soccer's major tournaments have seen an "intensive exchange of ideas" on counterterrorism efforts.
And both post-9/11 Olympic Games have been prime examples of increased security at sporting events. Ahead of the Beijing Games, for example, China deployed a massive security presence, saying it had foiled a terrorist hijacking plot, yet warning it faced further threats in its Muslim-majority northwest. Just five days before the flame was lit, there was an attack by Muslim separatists in the city of Kashgar in China's far western Xinjiang region that left 16 policemen dead and an equal number badly wounded.